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**EliteFranceska** · 08-25-2008, 04:19 PM

We all know that.

How can you get them to NOT use cash?

Cash is not a chicken or a goat in your hand. It is not a watch, or a table. It was a representitve item used to replace barter and standardize trade. It is, however, physical and that seems to be the key.

The thing is, we all know the problem. Saying "oh they won't use electronics" will not stop guys like this one from mugging them. You will always get that from time to time. The only way to truly stop crime in any one area or any one venue is to remove the motivation. Making it more difficult does not remove the potential, it just increases the resistance.

Removing the juice from the circuit removes almost any chance of something like this happening.

So, instead of saying "old people don't like banks", why don't we think of a possible alternative to cash? Would a card that has actual digital numbers on it be better? More visceral? Would mini-deposit cards, ones that could be used like cash but were really limited debt cards work better? How could we get a system in place that would ID the person that had these cards and allow them to make official transactions with them like they were cash?

Obviously, we would also have to keep some money in the mix, but pushing over an old lady for $100 is a lot less tempting than for $800.

08-25-2008, 04:19 PM	#12
EliteFranceska Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 463 Senior Member	We all know that. How can you get them to NOT use cash? Cash is not a chicken or a goat in your hand. It is not a watch, or a table. It was a representitve item used to replace barter and standardize trade. It is, however, physical and that seems to be the key. The thing is, we all know the problem. Saying "oh they won't use electronics" will not stop guys like this one from mugging them. You will always get that from time to time. The only way to truly stop crime in any one area or any one venue is to remove the motivation. Making it more difficult does not remove the potential, it just increases the resistance. Removing the juice from the circuit removes almost any chance of something like this happening. So, instead of saying "old people don't like banks", why don't we think of a possible alternative to cash? Would a card that has actual digital numbers on it be better? More visceral? Would mini-deposit cards, ones that could be used like cash but were really limited debt cards work better? How could we get a system in place that would ID the person that had these cards and allow them to make official transactions with them like they were cash? Obviously, we would also have to keep some money in the mix, but pushing over an old lady for $100 is a lot less tempting than for $800.
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